About Moi

I am a professional nerd and a closet make up diva. I love, read, and write with as much passion as I do beauty.
I am also penny-wise and thrifty; with a high tolerance for caffeine and little tolerance for blah-ness...
I live in lovely Seattle with my adored and worshiped husband *Rojo* who is my biggest fan, where we read the years as they go by...

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Thursday, April 23, 2009

This has been quite the mascara week, eh? Sorry about being MIA Wednesday, lots of non-beauty related things going on. Anyways, maybe that gave you a chance to reflect on this weeks step to perfect lashes.... quick recap:

Keep your lashes in shape: clean and love them.

Decide whether to use a primer, to curl... or not.

Look up which type of mascara better suits your lashes needs.

Now, you finally have bought yourself a new tube. You are happy and ready to experiment your new look. With a new mascara, try to have NO expectations: it helps to not destroy your dreams of vampy and sultry eyelashes.

So, how to apply mascara? I think we all develop our tips and tricks; and some hermanas who blog have AWESOME video tutorials. I can only share with you what makes sense to me; so here goes it.

Mascara is my last step in makeup. After my eye shadows and eyeliner are set and happy; it is mascara time.

Do not pump the applicator in and out. Air gets into the tube and dries the mascara's formula.

Always get rid of excess product in the border. If your brush has too much mascara, the results will be ghastly.

Coat upper lashes first. A zig zag movement is a great idea; followed by a defining upward stroke. then go for the lower lashes (some chicas do not apply mascara to their lower lashes, and they look just as fabulous). My application ritual is a 1-2 + 1-2. Upper left lash, upper right lash. Again. Again. (I usually wear 3 coats). Lower left lash, lower right lash (usually just one coat).

In between coats and before running outside to face the day; SEPARATE your lashes. Get yourself a lash comb for this. I am still looking for a better one; so plzzzz send me recommendations. If you make this little step part of your daily routine, you will not only look better; but you will see that you need less mascara.

DO NOT - repeat, DO NOT use a pin. For the love of God and all that's nice and pretty in this world; DO NOT do this. You could not only slash the lash in two; but could potentially prick your eye big time. Not very nice.

That said, I really want to hear from you. Any tips or tricks? Do tell.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Curious fact before I forget. In Mexico, mascara is called rimel. Yup, like Rimmel London.

If you have been with us all week; you now know that getting luscious lashes is not just a matter of slapping on whichever mascara. Monday we shared Lash Savers, including some guidelines on what to look for when you are buying a new tube. Yesterday we dished about the pros and cons of primer and curling (or not!). Today we are almost getting ready to cyberapply mascara.

So let's pretend we are standing in the middle of Sephora *sigh*, with no budget problems *sighs again* and all the time in the world *triple sigh*, but without a salesperson trying to push their favorite mascara on us. How would we decide?

I say: think triple. I would like you to focus on three things. First, the type of mascara you want; second, the brush of the ones available and third; sadly enough, how much can you afford.

The titles cosmetic companies baptize their products with can be as puzzling as trying to sort out their ingredients (unless you are lucky enough like yours truly to have a hot Organic Chemist on call, mwahahahaha). But really, they can be confusing. So, how about mascaras? What is the difference between a "volumizing" and a "curl enhancing" one? Let me give it a try.

Volumizing mascaras claim they can make your eyelashes look full and yet soft. This is the kind I live by, since I am all about the dramatic look. Best in Class are (some reviews courtesy of Bee over at Clumps of Mascara):

Volumizing mascara is best used -yo pienso- when you have somehow achieved curl and length through other means. If you have small lashes, not such a good idea as it can look clumpy. If you are going to use this baby, give it some time to set before patching up 3,000 coats. And always use a separator after.

Lengthening mascaras help you extend small lashes. Simple, eh? Not quite. Like, really chicas, how can you lengthen something finite? (great, now I am philosophical). Yet, seems you can. Best in class:

If you want tube technology, go for either L'Oreal Extend or Blinc Kiss Me. I have tried both and am partial towards L'Oreal, which is also much more affordable... as in half price affordable.

"Curling' mascaras are supposed to give you a curly angle to otherwise flat and sad lashes. I personally think this is nothing more than a myth (basic physics hermanas)... so I will not go into detail about these ones. They exist, and I would never buy one. If you have and love them (and hence think I am full of...) do share!!!

Defining mascaras are -after volumizing ones- my favorite ones. They tend to be much more thin in their consistency; and their ultimate goal or promesais to separate and -surprise!- define your lashes. I like these ones for those very rare days where I want to look more natural (they occur, once in a blue moon). Another perk is they tend to feel quite light on your eyes. Best in class?

Revlon has a sleuth of defining mascaras, but I must confess I have not tried them.

Dios! This is one long post. I guess we will leave the thoughts about mascara wands and brushes for tomorrow. In the meanwhile, go back to dreaming about being in Sephora, with no budget restrictions....